Therapy
by TheBeautifulNerd
Summary: Set after "Just Do It" - After Grace's panic attack, Connie decides to find a counsellor for her. What does Grace talk about during her first session though? One-shot.


**This is just a cute mother/daughter one-shot. The idea came to me after watching the latest episode, "Just Do It." It's set straight after so I hope you like it.**

"Why am I here?" Grace asked her mother, as she and Connie sat in the car outside a row of tiny houses. It was the middle of the afternoon and the two of them were sat eating McDonalds before Grace had to go in for her appointment. Connie hoped that fast food would be a good distraction for the ten year old, she rarely allowed Grace to eat it. "Mum. There isn't anything wrong with me."

"I know Gracie," Connie whispered. "But your father and I have both talked about this and we agree that it's the best decision. You've been having panic attacks in New York as well."

"I...I don't want you to be angry with me," Grace whispered back.

"I'm not," Connie soothed her. "But I am worried. When you...When we were in my office and you couldn't breathe, it scared me. Your dad never told me that you'd been getting anxious and I didn't know what to do."

"You're a doctor," Grace laughed, with a small smile. "You always know what to do."

"Not always," Connie told her. "Not when it comes to you. You're my baby girl and when something happens to you, it scares me. If you're having panic attacks whenever you get stressed or upset, we...We need to get you someone to talk to and that is what Sue is here for."

"Thanks," Grace said and nodded her head. "I'm finished now."

"Okay, well it's about two o'clock now," Connie said, glancing at her watch. "So why don't we go inside?"

"Okay," Grace agreed and she and Connie both clambered out of the Mercedes. "I meant what I said by the way mum," Grace said, taking hold of Connie's hand. "I'd really like to be a surgeon like you when I'm older."

"It takes a lot of hard work," Connie said. "But I think you can do it. Both of your parents are doctor's after-all."

Grace smiled and Connie rang the doorbell, giving her daughter's hand a reassuring squeeze. The door opened and a woman around Connie's age stood at the door with a wide grin.

"You must be Grace," she said, smiling down at the small girl. "My name is Sue. Come inside sweetheart."

Grace walked inside with Connie following closely behind.

"And you must be Grace's mum, Connie," Sue said, holding her hand out to Connie. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Would either of you like a drink?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Connie said, holding a hand up to her.

"Could I have a glass of water?" Grace asked anxiously. Sue nodded and went to grab her a cold glass with ice from the kitchen. "I'm scared," Grace whispered to Connie when Sue was out of sight.

"Don't be," Connie comforted. "She seems really nice, don't worry."

"Okay we'll be going upstairs," Sue said, coming back and handing the glass of water over to Grace. "Connie, are you okay to wait in the living room? Then after the session, I'll call you in and the three of us can talk together."

"Is that okay with you Grace?" Connie questioned and Grace nodded. "Okay. I'll see you in an hour, sweetheart."

As Grace parted ways with her mum, she could feel herself struggling to breathe again. She followed Sue upstairs to a tiny room that Sue called her "patients room." Grace sat down on the sofa by the window and Sue sat down in the chair opposite. Grace sniffed and placed the glass of water on the table beside the sofa. A black Labrador was curled up in a basket in the corner of the room but as soon as he saw Grace, he leapt up and raced over to start licking her.

"You're okay with dogs, aren't you?" Sue asked. "I can send him out if not. Some of my patients like having him in here for a bit of comfort though."

"I'm fine," Grace laughed, rubbing him behind the ears. "He's lovely."

"His called Henry," Sue said. "So Grace, it was your mum who made this appointment. Do you know why you're here at all?"

"I...I guess..." Grace stuttered anxiously. "I had a panic attack, at...At my mum's work..."

"What brought that on?" Sue asked, opening up the notepad that she had been holding. "Do you know?"

"My...My mum had been talking and she...She was saying that she didn't want me to live with her..." Grace said, tears pricking her eyes. "She didn't know that I was listening."

"So tell me a bit about your family, Grace," Sue said. "Who do you live with and so on?"

"I used to live with my mum," Grace whispered. "Then she sent me to boarding school. She never had much time to spend with me because of her job. I hated boarding school though, I...I was always naughty and I got expelled."

"So what happened then?" Sue encouraged.

"I lived with mum back home," Grace continued. "But whenever we got the chance to spend time together, she was always called into work."

"That must have been hard," Sue said sympathetically.

"It was," Grace said. "So I usually phoned Grandma but I...I decided that I wanted to go and live with her because she...She had more time to spend with me."

"Did you miss your mum?" Sue asked and Grace nodded. "And I bet she missed you as well, didn't she?" Grace nodded and Sue handed her a tissue for her watery eyes. "You're doing well, Grace. Well done."

"I soon went to live with my dad in New York," Grace cried. "And that...That's when the panic attacks started. I loved living with dad and he sent me to horse riding lessons and we went out for the day and his girlfriend was really nice as well. Whenever I was stressed or upset though, I...I felt like I couldn't breathe and I...I...I missed my mum."

"Did you ever talk to him about it?" Sue asked. "Your dad?"

"Yes." Grace nodded. "And my teacher did as well, because I...I had a panic attack on a school trip so she had to tell him when we got back. Dad never told mum though, she...She found out for herself when I...When I struggled to breathe in her office."

"So why did you come back to Holby, Grace?" Sue asked.

"Dad had this conference in Holby," Grace said. "And he took me and his girlfriend with him. I didn't want my mum to know I was here though but then daddy's girlfriend started having bad stomach pains and I didn't know what to do. Dad was at his conference and...And mum's a doctor so I...I called her."

"Did you call her because she was a doctor or because you felt like you needed your mum at that point?" Sue asked.

"Both," Grace cried. "And I...She saved Emma's life, that's dad's girlfriend, and I...I was so proud and I then realised that I wanted to be a surgeon when I grow up. Part of me wanted to live with my mum again but then I overheard her saying that she didn't want me."

"Did you talk to her about it?" Sue asked.

"Yes," Grace replied. "And when dad took me to the airport to go back to New York, mum...Mum came after us and she said that she wasn't ever going to let me go again but..."

"But what?" Sue asked. "You're back with your mum now, isn't that what you wanted?"

"I'm just scared," Grace whispered. "Scared that she'll leave me again."

"Do you think it's all this that has caused the panic attacks?" Sue asked. "Because it seems to me like you've had a very hard childhood, Grace. You've been through a lot; going to boarding school, living with your dad, living with your mum and so on."

"I think so," Grace whispered. "Mum said we can visit dad, we're planning a trip to New York this summer."

"Well that'll be great," Sue said. "You do seem to have a small anxiety problem Grace, but we can fix that. The panic attacks tend to occur when you are either stressed or upset and now that you're back with your mum, the stress and upset should ease off a bit."

"That was all I ever wanted," Grace said, burying her face in the dog's fur. "To be back with my mum. I guess I was always scared to tell dad, because...Because he and mum never really get on all that well."

"You'll get help, Grace," Sue reassured her. "Because you have me and you have your mum. You are a very lucky girl with lots of people to help you. Things may not seem like it but things will turn out right in the end."

"Thank you." Grace smiled at her. "I know they will because one day I'm going to be just like my mum."

 **I hope you liked it. Please let me know what you think :)**


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